At a pre-Premier League press conference between Manchester United and Newcastle United, interim manager Ronnick announced that there were already 25 non-goalkeeper players available to play. More specifically, only Pogba is still recuperating from injuries, and the rest of the players can play.
Manchester United previously visited Brentford and home to Brighton two rounds of the Premier League postponement, because many players tested positive for the new crown, the club closed Carrington, cut off the chain of transmission, and now seems to have returned to normal. All the players, including Pogba, returned to the training ground in batches, with Pogba still recovering from a thigh strain and still unable to participate in training.
"As you know, last week of our last training session was last Thursday, when we only had 8 players and 3 goalkeepers, so the club closed the training ground for 4 days and cut off the chain of transmission." Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Lonnick said, "Today, we have trained for the 3rd day, starting on Tuesday, yesterday and today, we have 25 outfielders, which means that with the exception of Pogba, he is the only player who is still absent from training, and everyone else is involved in the practice. The development from last week to the present has been quite positive."
This means that Cavani and Varane, two United players who have not yet played for Ronnick, have returned from injury and will be expected to play for the Magpies at St James' Park.
Lonnick also revealed United's training plans, and the team will prepare for the game before Christmas Eve. "We're training tomorrow, then a day off christmas, and on Sunday the whole team will have the last pre-game training session and fly to Newcastle in the evening." He said, "From what I saw in training, the players were in good shape, all the players were not lazy at home, the club had a home training plan, and they all completed their homework according to the plan. So I saw in training that most of the players, if not everyone, would be able to play. Of course, I had to face a tough choice to decide on the big roster and the starting lineup."
Unlike previous manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's laxity, Lonnick wants United players to be vaccinated against COVID-19. "The Premier League will do everything in its power to keep the league safe and keep the players and the club healthy, and we do the same, we have to encourage players to practice social distancing when they come into contact with people, to comply with the rules, and we also need to make sure that most of the players are vaccinated." "As far as I know, our vaccination rates are quite high, but the last few weeks have taught you that even if you get two or three shots of the vaccine, you can still be exposed to the virus, especially the new variant," Longnick said. You can't be 100 percent immune, but at least you can avoid severe symptoms, and we tested positive players, and the symptoms were mild and not much affected."
Lonnick also called on the Premier League to increase the number of substitutes to five and to cancel the participation of Premier League teams in the League Cup. "I remember a year and a half ago, the Premier League also used the 5-bench rule, which was the right decision to change players more and ensure the physical fitness of the players, especially the players who have just recovered. It's the same now, so I see no reason why we can't start the rule again. The Premier League is the only league that can't change 5 players, and since there are 8 substitutes, 5 substitutions should be allowed, otherwise 5 players will sit on the bench and can't play."
"England is the only place where top league teams play in two domestic cups and France cancelled the League Cup a year or two ago, which is something the Premier League should be discussing. I know the League Cup helps third and fourth tier clubs increase their revenue, but for Premier League teams the schedule is too dense, there are too many games and we should discuss and address that. There were previous FA Cup rematches, which are now cancelled, which is a good practice. Other countries use extra time and penalties to play in cups, and there are never replays, which are topics you can explore."
Still, Lonnick said he was excited about the Premier League Christmas fixtures he was involved in for the first time. "You know better than I do the tradition of Boxing Day battles, we play on the 27th, and there are 30th and next January 2nd. I think it's a big tradition that can continue, and I'm very much looking forward to it, it's the first time I've been involved in my coaching career."
According to training photos released by Manchester United veteran Nemanja Matic, Rangnick recruited young players Hannibal Mejebry, Teden Mengi and others to participate in training. Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was teased for losing Thursday's training session. "Team of Victory!" Cristiano, are you okay?" Nemanja Matic wrote on social networking sites.